LSU's Plaisance picks up first-team All-SEC honors

From staff reports

Published: Wednesday, March 6, 2013 at 9:45 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, March 6, 2013 at 9:45 a.m.

DULUTH, Ga. — LSU junior forward Theresa Plaisance was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference recipient, senior guard Adrienne Webb a second-team All-SEC honoree and Danielle Ballard was named to the All-Freshman Team as the SEC office announced postseason awards as selected by the league's 14 coaches on Tuesday.

In addition, Plaisance and Ballard were both selected to the SEC All-Defensive Team. LSU was the only school with multiple players on the All-Defensive Team. It represents the 10th straight season that LSU has placed a player on the first team.

If there was a category for the SEC's most improved player, it would certainly be Plaisance. The former Vandebilt Catholic standout averaged 4.5 points per game as a reserve during her sophomore season. In her first year as a starter, Plaisance ranked second in the SEC in scoring (16.5 ppg), sixth in rebounding (8.2 rpg) and sixth in field goal percentage (45.5 percent).

Plaisance led the SEC with 2.8 blocks per game and she was tops in 20-point games with 11. She produced six double-doubles and double-figures in 28 consecutive games, surpassing Sylvia Fowles' career best streak and representing the longest streak by an LSU player since Seimone Augustus did it in 97 consecutive games from 2003-06. Plaisance's 80 blocks this season rank 12th nationally and are fifth in LSU single-season annals.

Webb, a native of Madison, Ala., was 10th in the SEC in scoring with 13.9 points per game. In conference games, she increased that number to 14.1 points per contest. She led the league in free throw percentage in SEC games, converting 48-of-57 for 84.2 percent. She was also third overall in that category for the season at 81.5 percent. Webb scored in double-figures in 13 of LSU's 16 conference games. She is fifth in LSU career history with 156 threes.

Ballard is one of the most prolific freshmen in school history, ranking second in the conference in scoring (12.6 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg) among all freshmen. A five-time SEC Freshman of the Week, Ballard shattered the LSU freshman single-season record for steals and is just three steals away from tying the LSU overall single-season record. She leads the SEC in steals with 90, which also ranks second nationally among all freshmen.

Ballard heads into the SEC Tournament having produced back-to-back double-doubles, a first by an LSU freshman since Sylvia Fowles did it in the final two games of the 2005 NCAA Tournament.

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